


rest at ease beneath pleasant weeds

by mysticaltorque



Series: on the grasshopper and the cricket [1]
Category: Dreaming of Sunshine - Silver Queen, Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Civilian and Shinobi Dynamics, Gen, Silver Queen's Dreaming of Sunshine Universe, Undercover
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-21
Updated: 2020-03-21
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:55:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23241337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mysticaltorque/pseuds/mysticaltorque
Summary: (Or, Two Konoha Missing-Nin Formerly Known As Shino And Shikako Lie Low In The Elemental Country Version Of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. If Saskatchewan was in the middle of a long-awaited, suddenly erupted civil war that was doing its best to not be noticed by the squishy and easily panicked civilians, most of whom are trying to not notice the civil war back)
Relationships: Aburame Shino & Nara Shikako
Series: on the grasshopper and the cricket [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1753417
Comments: 10
Kudos: 176
Collections: Heliocentrism — a Dreaming of Sunshine recursive collection, Worldbuilding Exchange 2020





	rest at ease beneath pleasant weeds

**Author's Note:**

  * For [wafflelate](https://archiveofourown.org/users/wafflelate/gifts).



> This really went all over the place and got hijacked a bit about civilian quality of life differences so now nothing actually happens except in flashbacks. Just like a Shippuden episode.

In a forgotten Warring Clan-era Aburame apiary on the wrong side of the Fire-Earth border, Shino Aburame realised he’d stolen his little sister’s pet tarantula. Mister Cranberry quite enjoyed clinging onto Shino as he ran kata or helped Chikako feed the kikaichu required of a heiress’s hive, usually ending in gentle amusement as Chiyako buzzed in righteous fury at the betrayal of her pet. There would be no amusement now. The treasonous nature of his mission made it unlikely he would see his clan again. He had made the deciding choice in his career as a shinobi, which was likely to be tense and dangerous and end bloodily a few months from now. Looking over at the ANBU who Shikako, before passing out, had called Sai, he felt an unspoken agreement pass between them, that no matter the trials before them, it would be worth it.

One month and a day later, Shino noted with mild exasperation that the wheat seller was opening late again, signs of being raided in the night by Grass Flower evident for any self-respecting shinobi who cared to glance. The fearful look of the seller, the lack of guards sent by either faction to ensure that no civilian got too rowdy and tried to buy enough grain to actually leave Grass, travelling at a civilian pace- all spoke of a sudden takeover. Previously, the small village that Shino had been living in for the last month or so had been within the territory of Grass Fruit, who tried to be philanthropic towards their civilians. Under Grass Fruit, the genin-level enforcers Shino cowered and averted his eyes from had been boorish but kind, in a patronising manner. They may just be civilians, but better Grass civilians than foreign ones, he had heard one say to the other after chasing a travelling thief out of the village. 

They were likely dead now. The kikaichu he had left on the two who had joked with him on his first wheat run had detected their chakra flare in anger, fear, and then resignation in the early morning four days ago. He was already awake, watching Shikako in the silent vigil she began whenever she slept. Had he not known her before, he would have assumed she had been prone to sleepwalking. After the third day, where he had to tackle her before some of the patrollers saw her walk on walls in her sleep, outing them both, they agreed it was necessary to lock the door. Shino’s mild grumbles (he’d found having a tendency to moan made it easy to disseminate misinformation to fool the town, genin and gossips alike) on his cousin’s sleepwalking making him lose hair young made the village slot any witnessed oddities into his cousin Hikako’s ‘dreamy nature’.

‘Cousin Hikako’, when she wasn’t silently (and, Shino admitted to himself, extremely creepily) staring vacantly in the direction of the Land of Hot Springs in her sleep or teaching calligraphy to the small class of dedicated students and various eccentric patrons that seemed to spring out of nowhere, created seals to fix their plumbing and electricity, muttering about efficiency and minerals in the water and shoddy wiring. The fact that even the shoddy house they’d set up shop in had electricity and plumbing was astonishing. The landlord, when coming to show it to Shino and Sai henged to look like Shikako, called it a bungalow and mentioned the ‘standard amenities’. Inside of Fire Country, they would have been lucky to have gotten near a river in addition to renting the right to a nearby well. It was with mild guilt, looking over their newly rented four-room house, that Shino admitted to himself that Grass treated its civilians better than Fire did, pressing the ache that thinking wrong of Fire as a whole awoke in him down more firmly than he had in the few years since he had begun to notice the world was not perfect. Somehow, that observation had hurt more than the others.

Shino was drawn out of his musings to the sound of an explosive tag. Most people who were in class with Shikako during the Academy can recognise the sound of an exploding tag instantly. As could people in the next class over. And nearby homeowners. The shopkeeper flinched, sending grain flying out of the top of the daily ration measure and to fall around the entrance to the shop. The fighting seemed to be vaguely moving towards them. Shino began to absentmindedly mimic the fear responses he had seen others show towards ninjutsu fights in particular, to great effect, from what he could tell from the people around them. As a group, the grain line moved away from the shop hatch and around its side- both Grass Flower and Grass Fruit avoided the granary whenever possible, so this was one of the safest places in the village for civilians to cluster. As he took inventory of himself (and his weapons should he need to intervene) he realised that his bag was about half as full as the money he paid would usually get him. Interesting. By that, Grass Flower seems to have a much more positive opinion of civilian-level pace, only giving them two days worth of food to Grass Fruit’s four days. Or perhaps they were strapped for funds and trying to raise them by increasing taxes- the only people who would really keep track of those things as regime changed was the grain shopkeeper, who had complained in the teahouse last afternoon that sudden abduction and threatening recitation of the new rules was becoming less terrifying and more an uncomfortable sleepless inconvenience. Shino kept track as best he could, of course, but most Grass civilians didn’t. As Sai, Shikako and Shino had agreed, a week into staying in the village, Shino and Shikako were staying in the village as long as possible- Sai needed to be able to find them after he finished doing whatever plausibly deniable black ops things he needed to do as a cover for smuggling Shikako out and leaving three pillows stuffed under the hospital blankets instead.

There was an explosion, and then everything became quiet. Next to Shino, the shopkeeper sighed in irritation. “Well, time to get kidnapped again, Shin. What do you think they’ll take hostage this time- my rock collection?” Shino was sorting through the best sympathetic yet non-suspicious response when a shinobi about his age, wearing only a Grass headband, tore out of shunshin right in front of him.

“Why, Shopkeeper Takeshi!” the shinobi chirped, “We understand how difficult this sudden change has been with being such a soft target- but strategies have changed. Rest assured that I, Muku will do my best to protect you and your village from harm!”

Shino edged away with the rest of the crowd, thankful he had been promoted early enough that it was unlikely any Grass nin would recognise him. As the crowd dispersed and Shino began the trek back to the house, one of the kikaichu he had placed on Shopkeeper Takeshi days ago dropped onto Muku, to track him. While Muku was the public face, it was entirely possible that there was the rest of a team where he couldn’t fully sense it without using his hive and possibly being detected. Shino would have to be very careful, and remind Shikako with her sensing to be very careful as well, to only assume Muku was alone. After all, to civilians of the village, all ninja were to be feared- Shin and Hikako feared them especially as their village was burnt down by Grass Flower to flush out Grass Fruit agents. Hikako had even cried to the auntie next door about it. Yes, Shino decided, one month and one day after he had betrayed his clan and village, everything is coming together perfectly.

Behind him, Muku was continuing to cheerily threaten the shopkeeper. No one gave them a second glance.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay at some point I may write The Great Shino Hospital Heist but as you may tell, Sai came up with Shino and Shikako's civilian names and was feeling nostalgic. He's off doing various things and maybe letting the Hokage know they're laying low. Off in Konoha, Shikamaru is Not Happy.


End file.
